GUNNING FOR PERFORMANCE: THE ROLE OF CALCULATIVE PRACTICES IN GOVERNING THE INDIVIDUAL ESPORTS PLAYER

Abstract: In this paper, we seek to examine how the performance of the individual esports player is measured and evaluated. By drawing on a cross-sectional interview study we aim to provide a comprehensive conception of the role of calculative practices in the nascent research area of esports. Utilizing the theoretical lens of Foucault (1977) and his notion of discipline, we find that individual performance measures provoke emotions in players. Both anxiety from instantaneous performance feedback and the allure to attract a digitally involved audience can incite behavior that adversely affects team performance. Furthermore, we distinguish a 'Peer Evaluation System', a network of professional players who draw on an interplay of subjective evaluation and calculative practices. The legitimacy of the system rests on the trust in the expertise of its participants. An inherent assumption in the system is the limited validity of quantitative performance measures to accurately assess performance. By drawing on more subjective forms of evaluation, the peer evaluation system imposes norms for professional conduct and thereby antagonizes the adverse effects of quantitative individual performance measures. We thus claim that the recourse to complementary subjective forms of performance evaluation validated through a network of experts avails to mitigate the inherent deficiencies of quantitative accounting regimes.